San Martín de los Andes sits at the eastern end of Lago Lácar in the Argentine province of Neuquén, hemmed in by forested hills, with about thirty thousand people and a building code that has kept the whole town to stone, timber and pitched roofs. The effect is deliberately alpine and it works better than that description suggests, partly because the setting earns it: the lake runs west into the Andes towards the Chilean border, and on a clear day the cone of Volcán Lanín, at 3,776 metres, stands over everything to the north.
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It is the quieter and more expensive of the two Argentine lake district towns, the other being Bariloche two hundred kilometres south, and the trade is deliberate: fewer student parties, more fly fishing. It is also the northern terminus of the Ruta de los Siete Lagos and the main base for Lanín National Park, which means it works as a hub rather than a stop. In winter, Cerro Chapelco above the town is a proper ski area with a long season and dry snow.
The Mapuche presence here is current rather than historical. Several communities hold land inside Lanín National Park under co-management arrangements, some of the lake beaches and trailheads are on Mapuche land where a fee is charged and photography needs asking, and the park's own signage now uses Mapudungun names alongside Spanish ones. Knowing that changes how you behave at a trailhead.
What Makes San Martin de los Andes Different to Pack For
Four genuine seasons at altitude
San Martín runs about 8°C to 25°C from December to February, about 0°C to 9°C from June to August with reliable snow on Chapelco, and shoulder seasons that change inside a day. The town sits at about 640 metres and the mountains above it are considerably colder, so the daily range is the packing problem rather than the seasonal one.
A merino wool base layer for women is the foundation in every month: it is the layer under a ski shell in July and the one under a sun shirt on a lake trail in January.
Winter is a ski trip and summer is a trekking trip
These are two different packing lists and the town serves both, with hire shops for each. Hire the bulky items, bring what goes next to your skin and your own boots.
The lake is snowmelt
Lago Lácar is swimmable in January and February and it is cold, and the beaches are shingle.
It is expensive by Argentine standards
This is a well off resort town and prices reflect it, particularly in January, February and the ski season, when accommodation books out months ahead. Argentina's exchange situation makes the arithmetic unpredictable, so bring dollars in cash as well as cards.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
The San Martin Packing List
Footwear
Waterproof hiking boots with ankle support for the Lanín trails, which are volcanic scree, root and mud.
Walking shoes or trainers for the town, which is walkable and pleasant. In winter, insulated waterproof boots with tread for snow and slush, and ski boots hired at Chapelco or in town. Water shoes or sandals for the shingle lake beaches. Merino wool socks.
Clothing
Layers with a warm mid layer and a waterproof windproof shell, carried every day in every season, because the mountains make their own weather and it arrives from Chile.
Winter: a properly insulated coat, thermal base layers top and bottom, a hat, gloves and goggles for the ski hill. Summer: light clothes plus that same warm layer and shell for the trails and the evening, which cools sharply.
Swimwear and a quick drying towel for the lake. One smarter outfit, because San Martín dresses well, the restaurants are good and dinner is late. Modest and practical clothing for visits to Mapuche community land, where you are a guest rather than a tourist.
Practical
Cash in Argentine pesos and clean undamaged US dollars, split between two places, because this is an expensive town and the exchange arithmetic changes. ATMs exist and run dry in peak season.
A universal adapter for the angled Australian style three pin socket at 220V, which is not the European two pin. A power bank and a rechargeable headlamp.
Sunglasses and high factor sunscreen in every season, because the ultraviolet index this far south is raised by ozone thinning and snow and water both reflect it. A brimmed hat with a chin strap.
Insect repellent for the tábanos, the large biting horseflies that in January and February make lakeside and trailhead stops genuinely irritating and are drawn to dark clothes. A refillable bottle; the tap water is safe and excellent. A basic medical kit. Binoculars for the condors, which are common over the Lanín ridges.
What to Wear at Key Places
Lago Lacar and the town beaches
The lake at the end of the main street, with the municipal beach and the boats west towards Hua Hum.
Practically: swimwear and water shoes in summer, a windproof otherwise, because the lake funnels wind up to the town in the afternoon. The water is snowmelt and colder than it looks, so get in gradually. Boats run west down the lake towards the Chilean border at Hua Hum, which is a good half day and a legitimate crossing if you are continuing.
Lanin National Park and the volcano
The park north of town, with Lago Huechulafquen, Lago Paimún and the volcano itself.
Practically: boots, full waterproofs, warm layers, water and food, because these are long approaches on exposed ground. Climbing Volcán Lanín is a serious two or three day mountaineering objective requiring registration with the park, a demonstrated level of experience and equipment, and often a guide; it is not a day hike and people have died on it. The lower walks around the lakes are straightforward and beautiful and need no permit beyond the park fee. Several trailheads and beaches are on Mapuche community land where a fee is collected and you should ask before photographing people or dwellings. Fire is restricted and enforced.
Cerro Chapelco
The ski area twenty kilometres south of town.
Practically: full winter kit, goggles, sunscreen and gear hired in town or at the base. It has a longer season and drier snow than its size suggests, a good ski school, and far shorter queues than Bariloche. In summer the lift runs for walkers and the view of Lanín from the top is the best in the region.
The Ruta de los Siete Lagos
The lake road running south from here to Villa La Angostura.
Practically: this is the northern terminus, so fill up with fuel here because there is none for a hundred and ten kilometres. Layers within reach, water and food, and a full day rather than the two hours the map suggests. There is a separate guide to the route linked below.
Fly fishing on the Chimehuin and the Malleo
The rivers north of town, which are internationally known trout water.
Practically: waders if you have them, otherwise hired, plus layers, polarised sunglasses as eye protection and a hat. A provincial fishing licence is required and is arranged through a shop or guide, and the seasons and catch rules are enforced. Fish with a licensed guide rather than your own reading of the regulations.
The town itself
The main street, the plaza, the chocolate shops and the restaurants.
Practically: ordinary clothes and something warm for the evening. It is safe, walkable, well lit and pleasant to be out in, and the small museum on the plaza is honest about the Conquest of the Desert and the Mapuche, which for an Argentine municipal museum is worth noting. Dinner starts at nine or later.
What Not to Bring
Leave the European two pin adapter behind, because Argentina uses the angled plug. Leave dark clothing at home in high summer, because of the tábanos. Leave jeans, which do not dry. Leave sunscreen out of the winter bag and the snow will burn you. Leave the bulky ski or camping kit at home and hire it here. Leave Volcán Lanín off your itinerary unless you are a mountaineer with a permit and a guide, because it is not a hike. Leave fires and cigarettes out of Lanín National Park. Leave your camera down on Mapuche community land unless you have asked. Leave your tank half empty at the start of the Siete Lagos and you will be walking. Leave the lake unswum alone, because snowmelt incapacitates fast. And leave accommodation unbooked in January, February or the ski season at your peril.
Essential Resources for Women in San Martin de los Andes
Emergency numbers in Argentina: 911, with 101 for police, 107 for ambulance and 100 for fire also in use. Spanish is essential and English is available in the hotels, ski school and fishing lodges. In Lanín National Park there is little signal on the trails, so register your walk and tell your accommodation.
Tourist support: San Martín has a good municipal tourist office on the plaza, and Lanín National Park is administered by the national parks administration, which is the authority for registration, trail conditions, fire restrictions and the Lanín ascent. For fishing, the provincial licence and a licensed guide. For skiing, the Chapelco base. Report a theft to the police for the insurance record. If you are visiting Mapuche community land, the park office can tell you which areas charge a fee and what the local expectations are.
US Embassy: the Embassy is in Buenos Aires at ar.usembassy.gov, about sixteen hundred kilometres away. There is no consular presence in Neuquén, so a lost passport means a flight from here or Bariloche. Enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at step.state.gov before you travel.
Main hospital or clinic: San Martín has a hospital and private clinics adequate for ordinary illness, fractures and ski injuries, which given the ski hill is a well practised speciality. Anything complex goes to Neuquén city or Buenos Aires. Argentina's public hospitals treat emergencies regardless of nationality. Travel insurance is still needed for private care and repatriation, and you must check it covers skiing and, if you are attempting Lanín, mountaineering, which almost no standard policy includes.
Official health authority: the Argentine Ministry of Health at argentina.gob.ar/salud, with the CDC destination page for Argentina for vaccination guidance. Tap water is safe and excellent. Routine vaccinations should be current; there is no malaria and nothing tropical. The genuine risks are environmental: a high ultraviolet index from ozone thinning, cold water in snowmelt lakes, altitude on Lanín, and hantavirus in rural southern Argentina carried by a wild rodent, so do not sleep in abandoned buildings and air out closed cabins before use. Tábano bites in high summer are a nuisance.
US State Department travel advisory for Argentina: current advisory level and detail. Read it directly rather than relying on this page.
UK FCDO travel advice for Argentina: entry requirements, safety and health guidance, plus the safety and security section. There are no areas of Argentina the FCDO advises against travelling to, and this advice was last updated in May 2026, the oldest in this group, so check for a newer version. Its relevant content: demonstrations and picketing are more common in Argentina than in the UK and can occasionally turn violent, with road blockades not to be crossed; thieves and pickpockets operate on public transport and at bus and train terminals; and express kidnappings, short-term opportunistic abductions, occasionally happen, which is a city phenomenon rather than a lake district one.
Official tourism authority: Argentina Travel at argentina.travel, with the national parks administration for Lanín and the provincial authority for fishing licences.
Solo women safety assessment: San Martín de los Andes is about as easy and as safe as solo travel in South America gets. It is a prosperous, orderly resort town with very low crime, a compact and well lit centre, good restaurants where eating alone at ten at night is normal, and a visitor population that includes plenty of solo trekkers, skiers and anglers. Argentines here are friendly and street harassment is minimal. The ordinary precautions are more than enough: bag closed at the bus terminal, which is the only place theft concentrates, and the usual care walking back late. What requires real attention is the mountains rather than the town. Lanín is a genuine mountaineering objective with altitude, glacier travel and a permit requirement, and people have died on it, so do not treat a volcano with a good cone as a long walk; the lower lake trails give you most of the view for none of the risk. On any trail, take the shell and the warm layer, register with the park, tell your accommodation your route, and expect no signal. Snowmelt lakes are cold enough to incapacitate, so swim near the shore. In winter, check your insurance covers skiing, because standard policies often do not. Ultraviolet at this latitude burns through cloud in every season. Fire restrictions in Lanín are strict for good reason. And on Mapuche community land, behave as a guest: pay the fee, ask before photographing, and understand that the land question here is live rather than historical. With those in hand, this is a relaxed and genuinely lovely place to spend a week alone.
Reading On
San Martín is the northern end of the Seven Lakes Route and the base for Lanín. The Patagonia travel guide for women is the parent for the region and the Patagonia packing list for women covers both sides of the border. South, the Ruta de los Siete Lagos packing list for women covers the road to Villa La Angostura and the Bariloche packing list for women the region's largest city. East, the Esquel packing list for women covers Welsh Patagonia and the Peninsula Valdes packing list for women the Atlantic coast. Over the border west, the Chile packing list for women. The travel packing guide for women is the parent for all destinations. For why one wool layer serves a ski shell in July and a lake trail in January, the best merino wool base layers for women explains it, and the Roman Trail collection is where the tops themselves live.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
